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HEATHMAN RESTAURANT Marc Taylor, Restaurant Manager/Sommelier Eat Rack of lamb. Chef and Culinary Director Philippe Boulot uses a glaze sauce and a little black pepper. The lamb has relatively little fat and the non-dairy glaze keeps the flavor bright. Drink Taylor says his guests are eager to try the smaller, lesser-known wineries as well as the big names. He recommends: Evening Land Red Queen 2008 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon. A local favorite. Paul Jaboulet Aîné 1998 Hermitage La Chapelle. A fleshy Syrah, very extracted and rich, complementing the gaminess of lamb. HIGGINS Andrew Zalman, Wine Steward Eat Magret and confit of Liberty duck with apricot–green peppercorn com- pote, braised greens and polenta. This is a moist domestic duck, prepared with a glaze as a sauce, but no butter or cream. The breast is seared and roasted at a low temperature with the signature Higgins spice mixture, and most of the fat dissipates. RINGSIDE STEAKHOUSE Akhil Kapoor, General Manager/Wine Director Eat Bone-in, 18-oz. filet. This is aged on the bone in Portland’s only on-premises dry-aging room, which was added with a recent refur- bishment to this 67-year-old favorite. Kapoor is not usually a filet fan, but aging gives this lots of flavor, with just a hint of gaminess, he says, and calls for earthy wines. Greg Higgins (left) brought Andrew Zalman in as Wine Steward when he opened in 1964. Zalman oversees a changing list of 190 wines, half of them from the Pacific Northwest: “The wine and food should have personalities that match seamlessly.” Akhil Kapoor: “The fun is having something unique. It’s easy to keep the big labels.” There are 10,000 bottles, 30 pours and even a few choice bottles of 1875 Madeira. Drink Kapoor has four he recommends: Brooks 2008 Pinot Noir Janus, Willamette Valley. This is a solid local choice, under $50. Château d’Aurilhac 2000 Haut Médoc. It’s an opulent, Old World classic, well-balanced with good fruit. René Rostaing 1999 Côte-Rôtie La Landonne. This is also a clas- sic, from a terroir high in silica, yielding lots of minerality, power and elegance. Joseph Kent 2007 Gris-Gris, Napa Valley. Despite the name (a voodoo term), this is a Cabernet-based red blend from a small producer, very restrained, with solid fruit, nice complex lingering spice and an oak finish. Higgins was the first restaurant in Oregon to lean heavily on organic foods and virtually everything on offer is now organic. Zalman met Higgins when both were working at the Heathman in the early ‘90s and joined him when he later opened Higgins a few blocks down the street. Both are fans of balancing ingredients in food and wines. Drink Helfrich 2007 Gewürztraminer Grand Cru Steinklotz, Alsace. The duck is rich, succulent, aromatic and the wine has a similar personality—a match made in heaven. An ordinary Gerwürz has good structure and acidity, but this one is rich, off-dry and has beautiful acidity, with an Asian spice and tea-box aroma of hibiscus and rose bouquet. july 201 1 / the tasting panel / 85